Playing by the book

Reviews of kids' books and the crazy, fun stuff they inspire us to do

An interview with Swedish author Ulf Stark

Ulf Stark is an author I only discovered this summer, but what a discovery! I’m very excited that he will be here in the UK next month as part of The Children’s Bookshow, an annual tour of children’s authors and illustrators across the UK. I recently chatted to Ulf over email about his work and [...]

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A triumphant trio of boy-friendly books

One of the truly great discoveries for me this summer has been the Swedish author Ulf Stark. Last week I couldn’t resist telling you about his bittersweet exploration of identity, Fruitloops and Dipsticks, likely to be enjoyed most by kids in their early years at secondary school or there abouts. Today, however, I want to [...]

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Chaos, sex, death and a wonderful, wonderful children’s book

A beautifully written book rich with themes encompassing teenage identity, sexuality, gender, possible mental health issues, ageing, intergenerational friendship and death Fruitloops & Dipsticks by Swedish writer Ulf Stark packs a punch. It’s a breathtaking read full of humour, warmth, generosity and complexity that left me in tears, determined to spread the word about it, [...]

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